Then, he walked away, leaving me naked and alone, without so much as asking if I was okay.
And that still wasn’t enough to get rid of the hearts in my eyes.
That didn’t happen until the following year when he almost got me killed. Or, rather, when he stood aside and almost let his fuckingpregnant matekill me.
Fifty-Four
Julien
I’malotofthings, but I’m not an idiot. Well, not a complete one anyway. No matter how quickly I want to get downtown and confront my uncle, I know apologizing to Keir and filling him in on what’s going on is more important at the moment.
Agreeing to the asshole lawyer’s terms and telling Keir to sit out the meeting was dumb. Hell, simply letting Eames in the house was a bad idea, but I can’t take it back now. Hopefully, my mate won’t hold that momentary stupidity against me. We’ve finally reached a semi-stable point in our relationship and I don’t want him to be looking for an excuse to run.
I take a deep breath, putting aside my irritation with Everett for the moment, then rise from my chair. “Dante, take Brody and wait for me in the car,” I say. “I’ll be out in a minute, and we’ll go see what my scheming uncle is up to now.”
Dante nods, then he and Brody leave the office and head outside.
I glance at Remy. “How mad do you think he is?”
“Well… I don’t think he’s going to run, but you might have to grovel a bit.” He cracks a smile. “Maybe Mom’s lasagna has put him in a good mood.”
“Here’s hoping,” I mumble before straightening my shoulders and heading toward the dining room. I have no idea exactly what I’m going to say to make this right, but ‘I’m sorry’ is definitely a good start.
Mom looks up from her plate when I enter, her brows pulling together. “Did I hear Dante say something about Everett?”
“Yeah,” I say. “He’s up to something again. Dante saw him meeting with a couple of strange shifters downtown. I’m planning to go down there and find out exactly what’s going on as soon as I talk with Keir.”
I glance around the table, quickly taking in the fact that Mom is the only person sitting there.
Keir wouldn’t have…No.
“Where is he?” I ask.
Mom raises her brows. “He yelled something about going for a walk. I thought it was strange, but…” She lets the words trail off and studies my face for a moment before sighing. “What did you do, Julien?”
Between the tone of her voice and the look she’s giving me, I feel like I’m a child being scolded for breaking a vase.
“The lawyer didn’t want him in the meeting and—”
“As much as I love you, son, sometimes you’re a real dumbass.” She sighs again. “He hasn’t been gone that long. I’m sure you can catch him or just wait for him to get back.”
Remy speaks up from behind me. “You don’t know how long Everett will be at the restaurant. If he’s conspiring with another Alpha in your territory, you need to catch him in the act if you want the elders to back you on any disciplinary measures.”
Shit. He’s right.
“Your brother and I will wait for Keir and explain things to him,” says Mom. “I’m sure he’ll understand it was an emergency.”
I sure hope so.
My wolf is agitated and I hate leaving things unsettled with Keir, but I can’t argue with what my brother said. Catching Everett in the act is vital if I want him to face any true consequences.
“Thanks,” I say, nodding to both Remy and my mom before heading out the front door and climbing into Dante’s SUV.
As soon as my door shuts, Dante starts up the vehicle and heads down the driveway. I stare out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Keir, but no such luck. As we exit the driveway and turn onto the main road, another SUV almost sideswipes us as it pulls away from the shoulder and then speeds around us without slowing.
Assholes.
Dante lays on the horn for a moment, but the vehicle doesn’t even pause, just takes off down the road and disappears around the curve in front of us.
